Apparatus for flame seaming



F. R. HOHMANN ETAL 3,008, APPARATUS FOR FLAME SEAMING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 14, 1961 Original Filed March 8, 195? N AAWN Nov. 14, 1961 F. R. HOHMANN ETAL 3,008,270

APPARATUS FOR FLAME SEAMING Original Filed March 8, 1957 2 Sheetsshet 2 bestes This invention relates to apparatus for treating the edges or" glass and particularly to the ame treatment of the peripheral edges of glass sheets.

ln order to cut at glass, it is necessary to breach or score one surface by drawing a diamond or other cutting tool over the surface. Thereafter, the cut is completed by running the cut, i.e. breaking the glass along the score line by applying pressure to the scored surface of the glass on both sides of the score line while supporting the glass on the other surface thereof along the score line. ln scoring or breaching the surta-ce initially, the surface may develop vents running away from the score line. These vents may be small hair lines, chips, or other ilaws in the glass surface. When the glass is thereafter subjected to heating and cooling operations in conjunction with the bending and/or tempering thereof, the vents in the surface of the glass will open up thus causing the glass to rupture and develop craclis or shatter.

Therefore, in order to eliminate the vents at the cut edge of the glass to prevent rupture and also to remove the sharp edges which might cause injury to those handling the glass pieces, it has been found desirable to treat the glass so that a relatively smooth edge is presented.

Removal of the vents by smoothing the edge has become of considerable importance in the case of glass sheets, such as may be used in tempered back lights in automobiles, for after such sheets are cut to the desired shape, they are subjected to bending and tempering operations.

To remove the sharp edges of cut pieces of glass plates, sanding or other abrasive apparatus has been used. This has been accomplished by passing the abrasive apparatus over the edges or passing the edges over a lined sander running wet or dry. This type of manual seeming, i.e. smoothing of the rough edges by means of abrasion is a relatively slow operation and although it is partially eiective in smoothing the edges, it is not always eiective in eliminating the vents and other flaws which may cause the glass to rupture during bending and tempering.

Automatic searners or edge smoothers have been developed in an attempt to perform the abrading operation automatically. In such seamers, the glass plate is clamped to a turntable which then passes between belt Sanders, the two sides of the glass plate are ground simultaneously and then the two ends are ground. The automatic seamers are relatively slow for the apparatus is not adapted to treat all the edges of the glass at one time. Furthermore, unless the edgesv are subjected to prolonged abrading, some vents will yremain which will cause a subsequent rupture of the glass.

An important object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for treating the cut edges of the glass plate pieces whereby the vents or other aws in the glass will be healed or sealed in, so that they cannot cause a rupture of the glass when it is subjected to later bending and tempering operations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for treating the edges of glass plate pieces with a ame jet to seam the sharp edges and produce a relatively smooth edge.

3,058,270 Patented Nov. 14, 1961 ace Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus in which a glass plate piece having cut edges may have all its edges treated simultaneously.

A still further object of the invention is to provide apparatus wherein at least one edge of a glass piece may be treated as itis continuously conveyed.

An additional object of the invention is to provide apparatus for Seaming the edges of successive glass plate pieces prior to and continuous with subsequent treatment of the glass plate including such treatments as bending and tempering.

The invention includes apparatus for the ilame seaming of at least one edge of a at glass piece by impinging an open dame jet against the edge to be seamed, the llame being arranged in a sheet parallel to the edge of the glass and directed against the center of said edge, the sheet edect of the flame being achieved either by the movement of the peripheral edge of the glass across the impinging llame or by spacing a plurality of flame jets in a line such that they will produce a sheet of flame impinging against the center of an edge of the glass parallel to the plane surfaces of the plate of glass.

r:Che apparatus in a more specific form provides a preheating zone and a means for moving the glass from the preheating Zone into position so that llame jets are directed in a substantially continuous sheet against the entire peripheral edge of the piece of glass. The apparatus includes a postehcating chamber and an air cooling station and may also include a bending oven, when it is desired to bend the glass pieces after the ame seeming operation.

For a more complete description of specific embodiments of the invention including several forms which the invention may take, reference is made to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of one form of apparatus embodying the invention Awherein the entire peripheral edge of a piece of glass may be ilame seamed;

FIG. 2 is a lmore detailed longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus for ame seaming the entire peripheral edge of the piece of glass;

FIG. 3 is a plan view taken along the line 3 3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of an alternate form of apparatus for flame seaming which is illustrative of our invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, one form of apparatus for llame seaming pieces of hat glass includes a loading zone 10, a preheating zone 11 and a superposed flame seaming station 1.2; a connecting oven 13, a bending oven 14, an annealing oven 19, and a cooling zone 15. The several zones and stations 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, and 15 are spaced apart and disposed along a longitudinal path in sequential order except that the flame seaming station may be above the preheating zone 11. Pieces of flat glass 16 are moved into position in the several zones and ovens by means of a suitable conveyor 17 and into the ame seaming station by elevating means 24 as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The conveyor 17 indicated is made up of channel frame carriage members 13 adapted to slide alo-ng guideways 20; the ycarriage 1d may be connected to each other by link members 21 having slots 22 adapted to releasably engage the upstanding transverse channel members of the car riages 18.

The glass pieces 16 are positioned on molds 23, the molds being removably positioned in the carriages 18. The molds indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be of the hinged type which are adapted to bend the pieces of glass disposed therein to a predetermined shape defined by the upper surface Z5 which extends completely about the periphery of the molds. @ther suitable types of molds also may be used.

The loading zone includes a supporting frame26 adapted to support the extensions 27 of the guideways 20 which are outside of the preheating zone 11. The carriages 18 with the mold 23 andthe glass 16 are positioned as shown in FIG. 1 in the loading-zone.Y v i The preheating zone includes Van oven Z8 supported by suitable pillars 30 at the desired height. The oven is defined by a licor member 31, a roof memberV 32, and suitable side members 34 parallel to the path of the conveyor through ythe oven; one of the side members 34 has been cut away in FIGS. l and 2. The oven is lalso defined by removable transverse sides 33 which may be moved vertically by lifting means acting through chains 35 to permit access to the ends ofthe oven along the path 'defined by the guideways 20 of the conveyor. The oven may be heated in any suitable m-anner, land, for purposes of illustration, electric heating coils 36 are yshown as the heating medium.

The roof 32 is formed with a central opening 37 of suficicnt size to permit a piece of glass to be raised from a position in the oven upwardly therethrough into the flame seaming station 12 while the glass is maintained in a substantially horizontal plane. The dame seaming station 12 includes a burner 38, arranged above -the opening 37 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The flame seeming burnerv 38 comprises Aa pipe member 40 formed in sub-V stantially the same shape as the opening 37 of the oven, said opening and said flame seaming burner both corresponding in shape to the outer peripheral configuration of the pieces of glass 16 which 'are to be treated in the apparatus. The pipe member 40 is supported on Vthe upper side 41 of the roof 32 by spacers 42.

The inner periphery of the pipe 40 is formed with a series of apertures 43 adapted to permit the ow of a suitable gas and air mixture therethrough to provide ame jets of the desired size. The apertures 43 are aligned in substantially the same plane around the inner periphery of the pipe 40.

The elevator means V24 for lifting the 'glass pieces into the llame seamingstation includes a vacuum chuck 45 mounted on the lower end of a piston rod 46 which may be slidably mounted in a sleeve member 47 for vertical movement upward and downward. An inner bore 48 is provided in the piston rod 46 in connection With 'a suitable evacuating means (not shown) and connected with the suction face 50 of the vacuum chuck 45. Suitable airV sealing means 51 may be provided around 'the suction face of the vacuum chuck.

The stroke of the piston is sucient to raise the piece of glass 16 from the dot and dash line position (a) in FIG. 2 through the opening 37 to the dash line position bending oven 14 so that ordinarily no additional heater is required.

The bending oven 14 has' a chamber 58, defined by a roof portion 60, `a floor portion 61 and sides 64, p-arallel to the conveying path. The oven may be suitably supported on pillars 62 as shown in FIG. 1. Heating means such as electric coils 63 may be positioned on ceiling 54 of the bending oven to raise the temperature of the glass pieces positioned in the oven to the desired temperature. The annealing oven 19 has a chamber 69 deiined by roof portion 70, oor portion 71, sides 72, parallel to the conveyor and vertically movable ends 73. The annealing oven wil-l ordinarily receive suflcient heat from the bend- (b) in the llame seaming station 12 wherein the peripheral edges 52 of -the glass plate 16 are in alignment with the llame jets being emitted from the flame Vseamin-g burner 38.

The flame jets are emitted through the apertures 43 in a plane substantially parallel to the plane surfaces of the glass plate, when the latter is in the llame seaming position, so as to direct the flame of the several jets against the center of the glass edge land parallel to'the glass surfaces.

By way of specific example, it has been found that satis-Y factory flame seeming may be lachieved when the ame burner apertures areNo. 50 size drill holes on 1A" centers and with the mouths 'of the respective jets being approximately l from the edge of the glass plate to be treated.

The connecting oven 13 Vcomprises a chamber 55 defined trated in FIG. 1 or they may be open-ended and in direct connection with the preheating zone 11 and the bending oven 14. Heat will dow into the chamber 55 of the connecting oven from the preheating zone 11 and from the ing oven 14 so that no separate heating means is necessary. The annealing oven is provided in the apparatus to permit a gradual reduction of the temperature of the glass when an annealing process is being used.

The cooling and/ or tempering zone 15 comprises cooling nozzles 65 spaced above and below the path of the conveyor, the cooling nozzles being connected to a source of cool forced air by suitable means such as connecting hood 67 and pipe 66. Supporting members 68 may lbe provided to support the cooling equipment in the desired position. The cooling nozzles may be lined or mounted on oscillators so that nozzles maybe oscillated in a plane spaced from the glass surface. The use of the oscillators provides a more even and rapid cooling of the glass surfaces. After the glass pieces move from the cooling zone, the guideways V20 may extend to a point where operators remove the treated articles. Y

In carrying ont the process with the apparatus described to flame seam the edges of the glass, and bend and temper the glass pieces, any suitable temperatures or times of exposure may be used for such treatment. However, it has been found that the following temperatures and times of exposure have produced dirable results. Each glass piece 16, is moved from the loading zone 10 into the preheating zone 11. The zone 11 is maintained at a temperature of about 960 F. After the glass piece is preheated inezone 11, it is picked up by the vacuum chuck of the elevator `meansf24 and lifted into the dame seaming station 12. By positioning the peripheral edge of the glass piece about 1" from the ame burners, which have apertures of No. 50 size drill holes on 1A centers, a satisfactory flame for effecting the seaming operation is produced.V With natural gas rated at about 960 B.t.u. per cu. ft., an air to gas ratio of 9.3 to l with the burner using approximately 46.5 cu. ft. of gas per hour per foot of lineal extent of the burner pipe 40 has been found to produce satisfactory iiame jets. After holding the glass plate in the name jets for approximately l0 to 15 seconds, the glass is lowered into the preheating zone and held clear of the mold for about 20 seconds to permit hardening of the edge so as to prevent distortion at the points where the glass contacts the mold. After replacing upon the mold 23, the glass and the supporting carriage 18 are conveyed to the bending oven 14 for the bending operation.

It has been found that, if glass is preheated in a zone which is maintained at 960 F. for approximately eight minutes and is thereafterY seamed and post-heated at 1060 F. for four minutes, it can safely bewithdrawn for air cooling to handling temperature, Without breaking. After the -air cooling, the glass piece can be bent and tempered following standard procedure.

It will be understood that the Ymovement of the glass pieces through the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 may be intermittent to permit appropriate dwells at the several zones and stations. For example, at the preheating zone 11, the movement of glass Ialong the path of the conveyor is stopped so that the elevator 24 may operate to raise each glass piece into the llame seaming station and thereafter return it to the mold. It will also be appreciated that although the elevator means has beenillustrated as a vacuum chuck operating from above the glass piece, suitable elevator means operating from below the glass piece may also be used.

The 4bending mold may be equipped with retractable fingers 29, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, extending from the upper surface 25 of the molds 23 to the underside of the glass pieces to prevent premature bending or sagging of the glass during the steps preceding the bending and tempering operation. The retractable fingers are moved out of position to permit the bending of the glass at any suitable time before the bending operation.

In the particular embodiment of supporting finger depicted in FIGURE 2, the finger 29 is provided with a glass engaging extremity 129 and is free to pivot about a pivot rod 130. In the upper position, nger 29 is so disposed that extremity 129 lies in the same horizontal plane defined by the longitudinal extremities of the mold 23. Therefore, the glass sheet is shored up centrally to n `lie in a at horizontal plane necessary to insure that the vacuum chuck 45 makes sufficiently intimate Contact with the glass sheet 16 to enable the elevator 24 to lift the latter into proper alignment with the flame seeming means and redeposit it on the mold. Fingers 29 are rotatable into a lower position completely -below the peripheral mold profile 25, thus permitting the glass sheet to assume the shape delined by the latter. The mold is required to -be open within the perimeter defined by the mold profile 25 when the glass sheets are to be tempered after the flame seeming and bending operations so `as to allow for equal exposure of both surfaces of the bent glass sheet to tempering fluid.

The positioning of the iame seaming station above the preheating zone, as shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3, is an example of one possible arrangement of the various stations and zones with respect to each other, and it will be appreciated that the stations may be arranged in othe positions without departing from the scope of the invention.

In order to reduce heat loss through the opening 37, in the roof of the preheating oven, a heat insulating plate 49 may be fixed on the elevating means 2li, so as to substantially seal the opening 37 when the elevating means is in the normal position, indicated by the full line position shown in FIG. 2.

An alternate form of ame seeming apparatus and the method of seeming a single edge of successive plate glass pieces is illustrated in FIG. 4. rI'he alternate form may include a frame 76 on which pieces 75 are carried. The frame may consist of a lower bar member 77 and an upper bar member 78, the frame 76 being connected to an overhead trarnrail 80 by trolleys Si. rl`he trolleys are fixed to the frame by nuts and bolts S2. The pieces of glass 7S to be treated are suspended from the bar 77 of the frame 76 by holder member 33.

The apparatus includes a flame seaming station 85 which comprises a ame seaming burner 36 which may be a lineal pipe member connected with suitable mixed air and gas inlet pipes 87. Apertures 88 are formed in a line along the top of the pipe 86. The flame seaming pipe S6 is supported on frame 917 of the apparatus by adjustable screw members 91 so that the burner may be raised 0r lowered as desired.

Additional guide means are included in the iiarne seaming station to assure the continued alignment of the glass edges 92 which are to be iiarne seamed by darne jets from the apertures 8S disposed along the top of the flame burner S6. The additional guide apparatus consists of roller guides 93 which engage guide bars 95 fixed to the sides of the carriage 76. The function of the roller guides 93 is to steady the frame 76.

The glass pieces 75 are maintained against lateral misalignment by wire guides it .stretched between upiight frame members 97. The wires 96 are drawn tightly between the :frame members 97 and are adapted to be in iiht sliding engagement with the faces of the glass pieces 75.

It has been found that a flame seaming burner of approximately 8' in length will perform the desired seaming operation as the edges 92 of the glass pieces 75 are passed through the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the glass pieces being moved through the apparatus at the rate of 19() inches per minute. After the flame seaming operation, the pieces may be moved through a transfer oven, such as that shown at 9S, andthereafter may be suitably post-heated in oven 10d. The glass pieces may then be annealed or tempered in any suitable manner. The transfer oven 98 and the post-heating oven 100 may be formed with a slot fit1 in roof portions 1%2 thereof to receive the iframe 76 as it is v moved along the tramrail Si). Suitable doors 103 may be provided at both ends of the post-heating oven 1.00 to prevent heat losses therefrom. With the apparatus in PEG. 4, it is possible and practical to continuously flame seam one edge of successive glass pieces as they are moved through the apparatus. This form of the apparatus is particularly useful in the ame -seaming of glass pieces such as automobile ventilator lights when it is desired to llame seam only one of the edges. VWhen only one edge of the glass is to be Vflame seamed in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4, it is not necessary to preheat the glass for it is enveloped in heat rising from the jets 8S, and the areas adjacent to the edge are sufficiently heated during the iiame searning so that no localized stresses develop which might cause the glass to crack. However, it is desirable to postheat the entire glass piece before annealing of tempering to assure that the glass piece is evenly heated throughout.

The flame seaming treatment of the sharp edges of glass pieces results in a smooth edge which may be slig. t* ly rounded at the juncture of the edge with the plane surfaces of the glass so that there is little danger of injury during the manual handling of the glass pieces. There is also a reduction of breakage during the bending and tempering operation when the pieces of glass have been flame seamed because the ame seaming has the eifect of softening the glass `at the edges so that it seais any vents or aws in the edge. The sealing of the vents pre vents them from opening and rupturing the glass during the subsequent bending and tempering operations.

By the use of the apparatus of this invention, a large number of glass pieces may be seamed rapidly and the seamed edges are superior to those produced by manual or automatic abrading seaming operations.

'In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have herein described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the elements which we now consider the best embodiments thereof, but we desire to have it understood that the structure disclosed is only illustrative and the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is `designed to use the vario-us features and elements in the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and modified without affecting the more general results outlined.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 644,951 of Frederick R. Hohmann and Homer E. Neely, Jr. for Method and Apparatus of Flame Seaming, tiled March 8, 1957, which issued as Patent No. 2,971,294, February 14, 1961 and which is, in turn, a continuation of abandoned application Serial No. 243,148 of Frederick R. Hohmann and Homer E. Neely for Method and Apparatus of Flame Seaming, tiled August 22, 1951.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1, Apparatus for ilame seaming a at sheet of glass including `a gas burner having a row of horizontally directed nozzles extending around the edges of said glass sheet, said nozzles being closely spaced so as to form effectively a sheet of flame, preheating means located below said burner, and upward lifting means for moving said sheet broadside in a direction .at right angles to the plane of the flame to bring the edges of the glass sheet into alignment with said row of nozzles so that said sheet of `flame impinges on said edges.

2. Apparatus for-treating a'at sheet of glass including a gas burner having a row of nozzles directed horizontally and at least as long as one edge of the glass sheet, said nozzles being closely spaced so as to form effectively a-sheet of flame, upward lifting means for moving said` sheet broadside in a'direction at right angles to the plane of the llame to bring an edge of the glass sheet into alignment with said row of nozzles so that said sheet of name impinges on said edge, pfreheating means located below said burner, said upward lifting means being operable to lift a sheet from said preheating means to said burner and return it to said preheating means, and lateral conveyor means for moving a sheet horizontally into said preheating means and removingra sheet horizontally from said preheating means.v Y Y 3. Apparatus for llame seaming a at sheet of glass including a gas burner having a row of nozzles directed horizontally and at least as long as one `edge of the glass sheet, said nozzles being closely spaced so as to form effectively a sheet of ame, preheating means located preheating means, a shield supported on said chuck and extending horizontally therefrom to limit the ow of convection currents upwardly from said preheating means, and lateral conveyor meansrformoving a sheet horizontally intov said preheating means and removing a sheet horizontally from said preheating means. Y

4. Apparatus foraameseaming a ilat sheet'of glass including a gas burner having a row of no zzles directed horizontally and at least as long as one edge of the glass sheet, said nozzles being closely spaced so as to form effectively a sheet of flame, upward lifting means including a pneumatic chuck for engaging the central portion of the rupper surface of said sheet, preheating means located below said burner, said upward lifting means being operable to lift a 4sheet from said preheating means, to saidburner and return it to said preheating means, and lateral conveyor means for moving a sheet horizontally into said preheating means and removing a sheet horizontally from said preheating means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Noo 390080270 November l4 1961 Frederick R.. Hohmann et It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

signed and sealed this 9th day of october 1962.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST w. SwlDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer y Commissioner of Patents 

